Concerning Things Indifferent in Religious Worship Part 2, Title page – To the reader
The SECOND PART OF THE GREAT QUESTION CONCERNING THINGS INDIFFERENT IN Religious VVorſhip, Briefly Stated; And tendred to the Conſideration of all Conſcientious and Sober men. By the ſame Author.
Mr. Hales in his Treatiſe of Schiſm. When either Falſe or uncertain Concluſions are obtruded for Truth, and Acts either unlawful, or miniſtring juſt ſcruple, are required of us to be performed; in theſe Caſes conſent were Conſpiracy, and open Conteſtation is not Faction or Schiſm, but due Chriſtian Animoſity.
LONDON, Printed in the Year, 1661.
THE PREFACE TO THE Chriſtian and Candid Reader.
IN the Buſineſs, not of Decent or Natural, but of Deviſed and Unneceſſary Ceremonies in the Worſhip of God, there are, Christian Reader, two Queſtions at this day more hotly diſputed then ever: The one is Whether they may lawfully be Impoſed? The other is, Whether when they are Impoſed, they may lawfully be obſerved? The firſt of theſe I have already handled; with what ſucceſs and ſatisfaction to others, becomes not me to determine. The Second is now the Subject of this preſent Diſcourſe; upon which indeed the whole ſtreſs of the Controverſie lies; and that becauſe of the Opinion of many Conſcientious and ſober men aB. Morton. D. Burges. M. Sp. in., &c., who, though they are ready to acknowledge, that the Magiſtrate ought not to clog the Worſhip of God with uncommanded Traditions and Inventions of his own, yet they conceive, that when ſuch things, as are not expreſly forbidden by the Word of God, are Impoſed, they may and ought to be practiſed, rather then by the forbearance of them, men ſhould be forced to quit the exerciſe of their Miniſtry, which is ſo great a good, that they think it ought to be preſerved, though with the undergoing of ſome inconvenient Obſervances.
To thoſe who either in their Writings do affirm, or by their practiſe do own this perſwaſion, I deſire to be very tender; but withal, I muſt take leave to profeſs, that I am not as yet ſatisfied, either with the Aſſertion, or with the Argument which is brought to back it. For the Queſtion is not, Whether it be convenient or Inconvenient, but whether it be lawful or unlawfulto comply or not? And therefore it ſhould firſt be enquired, quo jure, before we ask cui bono? that is, in all things which concern our Practiſe; we ſhould first be ſatisfied, that the thing we do is lawful, before we ſtate to our ſelves, that we have a good end in doing it: For ſince the leaſt evil may not be done to obtain the greateſt good, and ſince our Lord Chriſt hath ſufficient power to propagate his Goſpel without our ſin; it is to be feared, that at the laſt day he will not accept this as a ſufficient anſwer; that we mingled his Worſhip with the, otherwiſe unlawful, Commands of men, meerly to maintain our Liberty of preaching; ſince he can make our ſuffering for his Truth, to be as effectual a means for the Converſion of others, as our open and free declaringit. As the Apoſtle Paul confeſſes, that his Bonds did beget many to the Faith of Chriſt. I wiſh therefore that too many do not indulge themſelves a dangerous Latitude, not ſo much to preſerve their Miniſtry, as to retain their Maintenance, and ſo to their ſin of Compliance, aad a ſecret diſtrust of Gods Providence.
But what others may be induced to do, concerns not me at all, who have nothing to do to judge anothers Conſcience; but having my ſelf been frequently? importuned to conform, and that by perſons whom I very much reſpect and honour, I have adventured to publiſh my Reaſons, why for the preſent I cannot think it Lawful: Which is a work ſo liable to cenſure and miſconſtruction, that I ſhould never have undertaken it, but that I would make it appear, it is not humour, but Conſcience, that hath guided me unto this reſolution. And though it is poſſible I may be ſuſpected to favour the irregular Fancies of ſome, with whom every ſlight and trivial difference is a ſufficient ground of ſeparation; yet I can aſſure thee, Chriſtian Reader, I do ſo much abhor the Practiſes and Opinions of thoſe men, that though I may forbear the uſage of our Ceremonies, yet no occaſion ſhall make me forſake the Communion of our Church, whoſe Doctrine, in the moſt material and diſputable Points of it, I have already aſſerted; and if I do not in all Particulars comply with her Diſcipline; it is not becauſe I would eclipſe her ſplendor, or leſſen her Authority; but becauſe I take ſome of the things Impoſed to be of that Nature, as no Power how great and lawful ſoever, can juſtifie and warrant the uſe of them.
I ſhall conclude therefore, with what I find in the Oxford Reaſons, excellently argued againſt Impoſing the Covevant: Thus have we, ſay they, clearly and freely repreſented our preſent judgment, which, upon better Information in any particular, we ſhall be ready to rectifie. Only we deſire, it may be conſidered, that if any one fingle reaſon or ſcruple remain unſatisfied (though we ſhould receive ſatisfaction in all the reſt) the Conſcience alſo would remain ſtill unſatisfied; and in that caſe, it can neither be reaſonable for them to preſs us, who cannot ſatisfie us; nor lawful for us, that cannot be ſatisfied, to ſubmit unto the ſaid Covenant, This Paſſage, if in ſtead of the word Covenant, we read Ceremonies, contains as much as I have to ſay: And I am not without hope, that thoſe who were ſo ſcrupulous of being Impoſed upon then, will be as tender of Impoſing now; ſince the Ceremonies in queſtion, are by many thought to be as contrary to the Law of God, as they had reaſon to think the Covenant was to the Law of the Land.
Ch. Ch. Sept. 10. 1661. Edward Bagſhaw.